Tubular handling apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A pipe handling system comprising at least one pipe magazine, a pipe conveyor system, and a pipe arm for handling pipes in conjunction with a drill rig for drilling a well bore. The pipe handling system operates to transfer pipe joints from each pipe magazine to a pipe arm via the pipe conveyor system. The pipe arm then moves to transfer each pipe to the drilling rig for connection to drill string. The pipe handling system also operates to remove each pipe from the drill string. The arm engages the pipe to be removed and moves to transfer the pipe to the pipe conveyor system. The pipe conveyor system then transfers the pipes to each pipe magazine. The system is alternatively comprises electronic sensors that measure the location of pipe. The entire system is also alternatively operated with software and a general-purpose computer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims the benefit of 35 U.S.C. §111(b)provisional application Serial No. 60/359,535 filed Feb. 25, 2002, andentitled “Tubular Handling Apparatus and Method”, hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates generally to handling well boretubulars. More particularly, the present invention relates to a systemfor handling and storing the tubulars as they are inserted into andremoved from a well bore.

[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0006] Drilling an oil or gas well involves two main operations:drilling and tripping. To commence the drilling procedure, a drillstring composed of drill pipe and terminating with a drill bit ispositioned within a drilling rig. A rotating drive mechanism rotates thedrill string to bore the drill bit into the ground. The components ofthe drill string, such as drill collars and drill pipe, are threaded forinterconnection. Depending on what type of drive system is being used,the uppermost length of drill pipe in the drill string is connected tothe drive mechanism. As the drill bit advances and the top of the drillstring approaches the working platform or drill floor of the drillingrig, additional lengths of drill pipe must be added to the drill stringin order to advance the drill string further into the ground. Pipe isadded by temporarily supporting the top of the drill string using“slips” and disconnecting the drive mechanism from the top of the drillstring. The rig's elevating system then lifts a new section of drillpipe into position and the new section of pipe is connected to the topof the drill string. The drive mechanism is then reconnected to thedrill string, and drilling operations resume until it is again necessaryto add more sections of drill pipe.

[0007] Tripping is a necessary but unproductive part of the overalldrilling operation, and involves two basic procedures. The firstprocedure is extracting drill pipe from the well (referred to as“pulling out of hole” mode, or “POH”), and the second is replacing drillpipe in the well (“running in hole” mode, or “RIH”). Tripping may benecessary for several reasons, such as for replacement of worn drillbits, for recovery of damaged drill string components, or forinstallation of well casing.

[0008] In POH mode, the drive mechanism is removed temporarily, thedrill string is connected to pipe elevators, and the drill string ispulled partially out of the hole as far as the hoisting mechanism andgeometry of the drilling rig will permit. The slips then support thedrill string so that the section or sections of the drill pipe exposedabove the drill floor may be disconnected or “broken out” and moved awayfrom the well. The elevators then reengage the top of the drill stringso that more of the drill string may be pulled out of the hole. Thisprocess is repeated until the desired portion of the drill string hasbeen extracted. The procedure for RIH mode is essentially the reverse ofthat for POH mode.

[0009] Whatever type of rig is being used, drilling operations require aconvenient storage area for drill pipe that will be either added to orremoved from the drill string during drilling or tripping. On many rigs,drill pipe is stored vertically, resting on the drill floor and held atthe top in a rack known as a “fingerboard.” This system typicallyrequires a “derrickman” working on a “monkey board” high up in the rig,to manipulate the top of the drill pipe as it is moved in and out of thefingerboard. Other rigs use a “pipe tub”, which is a sloping racktypically located adjacent to and extending below the drill floor. Drillships and ocean-going drilling platforms often provide for vertical ornear-vertical storage of drill pipe in a “Texas deck” located under thedrill floor, with access being provided through a large opening in thedrill floor.

[0010] When sections of drill pipe are being added during drilling or inRIH mode during tripping, the pipe must be transported into positionfrom the pipe storage area. The opposite applies in POH mode duringtripping, when pipe removed from the drill string must be transportedaway from the well and then to the storage area. With most if not allknown drilling rigs, these pipe-handling operations cannot beconveniently performed using the rig's main hoist, because the mainhoist typically is centered over the well hole, and cannot be movedlaterally. The pipe has to be moved laterally using either manual effortor auxiliary machinery. In addition, drilling a well bore requires pipejoints of different size and different maximum tool-end upsets. Theplacement and sizing of the pipe handling devices must take into accountthe range of sizes of pipes and their maximum too-end upset so as tocontact the pipe body only and not the pipe ends.

[0011] It can readily be seen that the efficiency and economy of awell-drilling operation will increase as the amount of time and effortrequired for handling drill pipe is decreased. Drill pipe is typicallymanufactured in standard-length “joints.” One common length for a pipe“joint” is 31 feet. Many known rigs handle “stands” made up of twojoints (“doubles,” in industry parlance) or three joints (“triples”),and such rigs are typically thought to provide significant operationalcost savings over rigs that can handle only single joints of pipe.

[0012] Multiple-joint rigs have significant disadvantages, however. Toaccommodate doubles and triples, they must have taller masts. Forinstance, if the rig is to handle triples that are 93 feet long, thehoist must be able to rise 100 feet or more above the drill floor andthe mast has to be even higher than that. Because of the increasedheight, the mast will obviously be heavier and therefore more expensivethan a shorter mast, even though the maximum hoisting loads that themast must be designed for might be the same in either case. A tallermast's weight and cost will be even further increased by the need todesign it for increased wind loads resulting from the mast's largerlateral profile. A larger mast also requires a larger base to supportthe higher structure. The larger the size of the base, or “footprint”,the greater the overall cost of the well.

[0013] Tall, heavy rigs also have particular drawbacks when used onocean-going drill platforms or drill ships. Each floating platform ordrill ship has its own particular total weight limit, made up of deadweight plus usable load capacity. Every extra pound of rig weight addsto the dead weight and reduces the usable load capacity correspondingly.Extra dead weight not only increases fuel costs for transportation, butalso increases expenses for supply ships, which must make more frequentvisits because the platform or drill ship has less available loadcapacity for storage of supplies. Moreover, ocean-going rigs generallyneed to be even taller than comparable land-based rigs. The additionalheight is needed compensate for vertical heave of up to 15 feet or moreto keep the drill bit working at the bottom of the hole under anessentially constant vertical load when the platform or drill ship movesup or down due to wave action.

[0014] Another shortcoming of tall rigs is that the center of gravity ofthe rig, as well as that of the entire drilling platform, generallyrises higher as the mast becomes taller. This is especially true forrigs that have heavy hoisting equipment mounted high in the mast. Instormy conditions, drilling and tripping operations can becomeimpractical, unsafe, or both. This risk increases as the rig's center ofgravity rises, such that a tall rig generally will have to be shut downto wait out bad weather sooner than a shorter rig in the same weather.Downtime due to weather conditions, known as “waiting on weather” time(or “WOW” time) in drilling parlance, is extremely expensive. Experiencein drilling operations has been that WOW time averages as much as 10% oftotal rig deployment time. Because the total expense of operating anoffshore rig is commonly in the range of $150,000 or more per day, it isreadily apparent that the pipe-handling economies made possible byoffshore rigs with tall masts can be offset significantly by acorresponding risk of increased WOW time.

[0015] Another disadvantage of high mast rigs involves thetransportation of mobile rigs from site to site. Typically, portablerigs are loaded onto trucks and moved to different locations. The costand difficulty of transportation of the rigs can increase as the size ofthe rig increases. Transporting rigs can also involve travel over narrowroads and bridges and travel in hazardous weather. Thus, large rigs canprovide obstacles as to the conditions and locations in which they canbe transported.

[0016] Additionally, traditional rigs require certain manualintervention in handling the drill pipes at various stages of thedrilling process. The process of manually moving pipe or manuallyoperating equipment used to lift and or rotate pipe can be tedious anddangerous. Humans are sometimes required to load pipe onto pipe racks,roll pipe across the racks, pull single pipes to the rig floor, screwthe threaded connections together, and stand pipe in combinations of twoor three joints into the fingers of the racking board of a conventionalderrick.

[0017] For all the reasons outlined above, there is a need in thewell-drilling industry for a drilling rig: (1) that via automation andother means, provides for a safer work environment than that of aconventional rig; (2) that delivers significant cost savings derivedfrom transporting drill pipe to and from a pipe storage areaautomatically so as to eliminate or minimize the need for time-costingmanual labor; (3) that is light and easily movable to facilitate rigmoves; and (4) that can work on narrow well centers and have a verysmall footprint.

SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0018] In one embodiment, the pipe handling system comprises a pipemagazine, a pipe conveyor system, and a pipe arm for use inautomatically handling pipes in conjunction with a drill rig fordrilling a well bore. Alternatively, the pipe handling system includesmultiple pipe magazines, each with conveyor systems that transport thepipe from one pipe magazine to another until the pipe is delivered tothe pipe arm.

[0019] In operation, the pipe handling system runs in two modes, RIHmode where pipe is delivered from the magazine and POH mode where pipeis delivered to the magazine.

[0020] In the RIH mode, the pipe magazine delivers joints of pipe to thepipe conveyor system. The pipe conveyor system receives the joint ofpipe from the magazine and then delivers the joint of pipe to the pipearm. Clamps on the pipe arm then clamp around the pipe joint and hold itas the pipe arm pivots from a horizontal position to a verticalposition. The pipe arm then presents the pipe joint over the well holecenter where elevators on the rig latch on to the pipe. Once theelevators latch on to the pipe, the clamps on the pipe arm open and thepipe arm pivots back to its horizontal position.

[0021] The POH mode executes the opposite process from the RIH mode.Once the pipe elevators latch on to a pipe joint and the connection isbroken from the drill string, the clamps on the pipe arm clamp aroundthe pipe. The elevators then unlatch, release the pipe, and are raisedout of the way of the pipe arm. The pipe arm then pivots back down tothe horizontal position to deliver the pipe to the pipe conveyor system.“Kickers” on the pipe arm push the pipe onto the pipe conveyor system.The pipe conveyor system then delivers the pipe to the pipe magazine forloading and storage.

[0022] The entire system is alternatively automated and sequenced viaelectronic sensors and signals that measure the location of pipe atspecific intervals. The entire system is also alternatively integratedwith software and a general-purpose computer to ensure the pipe ispassed from one machine to the next as seamlessly as possible.

[0023] The embodiments thus provide a pipe handling system for adrilling rig that provides for a safer work environment than that of aconventional rig. The system also delivers significant cost savingsderived from transporting drill pipe to and from a pipe storage areaautomatically so as to eliminate or minimize the need for time-costingmanual labor. The pipe handling system is also light and easily movableto facilitate rig moves. Finally, the pipe handling system is part of adrilling rig that can work on narrow well centers and have a very smallfootprint.

[0024] Thus, the embodiments comprise a combination of features andadvantages that enable them to overcome various shortcomings or problemsassociated with prior devices. The various characteristics describedabove, as well as other features, will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description ofthe embodiments and by referring to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] For a more detailed description of the embodiments, referencewill now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0026]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pipe handling system;

[0027]FIG. 2 is a top view of the pipe handling system;

[0028]FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the pipe handling system;

[0029]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the pipe handling system;

[0030]FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the pipe handling system showingpipe being unloaded from the pipe magazine;

[0031]FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the pipe handling system showingpipe being loaded to the pipe magazine;

[0032]FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the pipe handling systemshowing the pipe arm delivering the pipe to the drilling rig;

[0033]FIG. 8 is a top view of a pipe handling system with multiple pipemagazines; and

[0034]FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the sensor and control system forcontrolling the pipe handling system with a general-purpose computer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0035] FIGS. 1-4 show a pipe handling system 10 comprising a pipemagazine 12, a pipe conveyor system 13, and a pipe arm 16. The pipehandling system 10 handles pipes 18 in conjunction with a drilling rig20 for drilling a well bore. The pipe magazine 12 and the pipe conveyorsystem 13 are modular units that allow for easy assembly, disassembly,and transportation of the pipe handling system 10.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1, the pipe magazine 12 includes multipleintegral pipe racks 22 arranged horizontally and spaced along the lengthof and inside the magazine 12 for supporting multiple layers of pipes 18horizontally. The racks 22 pivot on the longitudinal axis of the pipes18 to gravitationally bias the pipes 18 to one side of the magazine 12or the other. The racks 22 pivot depending on whether the pipes 18 arebeing unloaded from or loaded onto the racks 22. Hydraulic cylinders 23control the position of the racks 22. Each rack 22 comprises verticallyspaced horizontal supports or slats 26 (FIG. 3) for arrangement of thepipes 18. Hydraulic cylinders 27 control the slats 26 and selectivelyextend the individual slats 26 for loading and unloading the pipes 18.

[0037] The pipe conveyor system 13 comprises vertical conveyors 30 onone side of each magazine 12 (FIG. 4). The vertical conveyors 30 can bea chain, elevator, belt, or any other suitable conveyor type. Thevertical conveyors 30 each have a shovel arm 32 facing the rack 22 formoving the pipe 18 along the vertical conveyors 30. A motor 33 drives ashaft 31 (FIG. 4), which drives the vertical conveyors 30. Each magazine12 also has a first set of three horizontal magazine pipe conveyors 34(FIG. 4). As best shown in FIG. 4, the first set of magazine horizontalpipe conveyors 34 begins at the vertical conveyors 30 and extends to asecond set of three magazine horizontal pipe conveyors 36. The secondset of magazine horizontal pipe conveyors 36 begins at the end of thefirst set of magazine horizontal pipe conveyors 34 and extends out ofthe side of the magazine 12 to the pipe conveyor 14. A motor 37 drives ashaft 35, which drives the first set of magazine horizontal pipeconveyors 34 (FIG. 4). The first and second set of magazine horizontalpipe conveyors 34, 36 have a shovel arm 39 on each conveyor for movingthe pipe 18 along the conveyors 34, 36.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3, the pipe conveyor 14 begins at the end of thesecond set of the magazine horizontal pipe conveyors 36. As part of thepipe conveyor system 13, the pipe conveyor 14 transfers the pipe 18 backand forth between the pipe magazine 12 and the pipe arm 16. The pipeconveyor 14 can be a chain and shovel (ledge) arrangement, a syntheticbelt with deep ridges, a push-pull machine that pushes or pulls pipeacross a smooth surface, or any other suitable mechanism for movingpipe.

[0039] The pipe arm 16 is a large trussed or beam arm that pivots abouta pivot point 42 (FIG. 2) located near the base of the drillingsubstructure 44 that supports the rig floor 46 of the rig (not shown).The arm 16 pivots from a horizontal position to a vertical position. Atthe horizontal position the arm 16 is loaded with pipe 18 from the pipeconveyor 14. At the vertical position, the arm 16 delivers pipe 18 to astaging position offset from the centerline of the hole. When thesupport arm 16 is required to deliver or receive a joint of pipe 18 fromthe well center, an articulating platform 48 that supports the pipe 18,pushes or pulls the pipe 18 from the staged position to wellborecenterline. A single hydraulic cylinder (not shown) located somedistance from the pivot point 42 is used to pivot the arm 16 from thehorizontal position to the vertical position. Clamps 50 hold the pipe 18firmly against the back of the articulating platform 48. The clamps 50do not grip the pipe 18, but only exert enough pressure to prevent thepipe 18 from moving. The articulating platform 48, attached to the pipearm 16, includes a set of parallel arms with hydraulic cylinders (notshown) that are used to present the pipe 18 over the well center. This“articulating” distance can be adjusted to automatically align the pipe18 center with the well hole center for a range of different pipe sizes.A lipped pipe stop (not shown), which is part of the articulatingplatform 48, can telescope up and down when the arm 16 is vertical. Thepipe stop provides flexibility on: (1) how and where the pipe 18 ispresented over the hole; (2) the ability to clear the pipe 18 from thepipe stop when offloading toward the magazine 12; and (3) the ability toengage pipe 18 in the elevators (not shown) without moving the drivemechanism (not shown). Steel rollers (not shown), driven only ifnecessary, are used to clear the pipe 18 from the pipe stop to offloadtowards the pipe conveyor 14, or to load pipe 18 to the pipe stop priorto lifting the pipe 18. “Kickers” (not shown), integral to the arm 16,are used to push the pipe 18 either toward the pipe conveyor 14 ortoward a bottom hole assembly (“BHA”) module (not shown) on the oppositeside of the arm 16 than the magazine 12.

[0040] In operation, the pipe handling system 10 runs in two modes, RIHmode where pipe 18 is delivered from the magazine 12 and RIH mode wherepipe 18 is delivered to the magazine 12.

[0041] As shown schematically in FIG. 5, in RIH mode, the pipe magazine12 delivers joints of pipe 18 to the pipe arm 16 using the pipe conveyorsystem 13. The rack hydraulic pistons begin the process by tilting theracks 22 toward the vertical conveyors 30. The slat hydraulic cylindersthen selectively extend a slat 26 to place a pipe 18 in line with theshovel arms 32 of the vertical conveyors 30. The shovel arms 32 of thevertical conveyors then move the pipe 18 up where the pipe 18 istransferred to the first set of magazine horizontal conveyors 34. Thepipe 18 then travels across the first set of magazine horizontalconveyors 34 and is transferred to the second set of magazine horizontalconveyors 36. The second set of magazine horizontal conveyors 36 thencarry the pipe 18 out of the magazine 12 and onto the pipe conveyor 14.The pipe conveyor 14 finally carries the pipe 18 to the pipe arm 16. Theclamps 50 on the pipe arm 16 clamp around the pipe joint 18 and hold itagainst the articulating platform 48 as the pipe arm 16 pivots from thehorizontal position “A” as shown in FIG. 5 to the vertical position “B”as shown in FIG. 7. Once in position and the drillstring is ready toreceive the pipe 18, the articulating platform 48 presents the pipejoint 18 over the well hole center. Elevators on the rig then latch onto the pipe 18 and lift it up. After sensors confirm that the pipe 18has been lifted off and cleared the pipe stop, the clamps 50 open andthe articulating platform 48 retracts. The pipe arm 16 then pivots backto its horizontal position “B” to await the loading of another pipe 18.The connection is then made between the pipe 18 and the rest of thedrill string in a conventional manner and drilling or tripping iscommenced. The process is repeated with the magazine 12 emptying oneslat 26 at a time until no more pipes 18 need to be inserted into thewell bore.

[0042] As shown schematically in FIG. 6, in POH mode, the oppositeprocess from the RIH mode is executed. The rack hydraulic pistons 23tilt the racks 22 away from the vertical conveyors 30. At the rig, thepipe elevators latch on to a pipe joint 18 and the connection is brokenfrom the drill string in a conventional manner. The articulatingplatform 48 then extends from the pipe arm 16 and the clamps 50 clamparound the pipe 18. After sensors (not shown) sense that thearticulating platform 48 and the pipe stop have engaged the pipe 18, theelevators unlatch, release the pipe 18, and are raised out of the way ofthe pipe arm 16. The articulating platform 48 then retracts and the pipearm 16 pivots from position “B” shown in FIG. 7 back down to thehorizontal position “A” to deliver the pipe 18 to the pipe conveyor 14.“Kickers” (not shown) on the pipe arm 16 then push the pipe 18 onto thepipe conveyor 14. The pipe conveyor 14 then delivers the pipe to thesecond set of horizontal conveyors 36 on the pipe magazine 12. The pipe18 travels on the second set of horizontal conveyors 36, back into themagazine 12, and onto the first set of horizontal conveyors 34. The pipe18 then travels across the first set of horizontal conveyors 34 untilthey reach the vertical conveyors 30. The magazine vertical conveyors 30then lower the pipe 18 to the selected extended slat 26. When the pipe18 engages the extended slat 26, it rolls to the end of the slat due tothe tilt of the rack 22. In this manner, each slat 26 of the rack 22 isfilled until the magazine 12 is full or until no more pipe joints 18need to be removed from the bore hole.

[0043] Alternatively, the entire pipe handling system 10 is automatedand sequenced using electronic sensors 100 and a general-purposecomputer 102 as shown in FIG. 9. The sensors measure the location of thepipe 18 at specific intervals. The sensors 100 and the general-purposecomputer 102 are used to load pipe 18 to and from the correct slat 26 inthe magazine 12. There is also an assortment of sensors 100 on the pipearm 16 to control the mechanisms that hold the pipe 18 to the arm 16,and release the pipe 18 at the correct time. The general-purposecomputer 102 uses software to gather information from the sensors 100and activate controllers 104 throughout the entire pipe handling system10. The controllers 104 control various operations throughout the pipehandling system 10 to handle the pipes 18 such as operating the pipe arm16, the conveyor system 13, the pipe racks 22, and the pipe slats 26.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 8, in another alternative, more than one pipemagazine 12 can be used in the pipe handling system 10. The additionalpipe magazines 12 are spaced lengthwise so that the second set ofhorizontal conveyors 36 of the additional magazines 12 extend into thenext magazine 12 closer to the pipe conveyor 14 and pipe arm 16. Theoperation is the same except the pipe joints 18 from the additionalmagazines 12 are transferred from pipe magazine 12 to pipe magazine 12across the first set of horizontal conveyors 34 and the second set ofhorizontal conveyors 36 of the next magazine 12 closest to the pipeconveyor 14. The pipe joints 18 travel across the sets of horizontalconveyors 34, 36 until they reach the pipe conveyor 14 and the processof loading the pipe into the drillstring is carried out for the RIHmode. In the POH mode, the process is reversed and when one of themagazines 12 is filled, the pipe joints 18 are transferred across thesets of horizontal conveyors 34, 36 to the next magazine 12 and loadedas described above. The additional magazines 12 can also be operatedindependently. One magazine 22 can thus operate normally as describedabove while another magazine is loaded or unloaded to or from aforklift. In addition, pipe may be unloaded from or loaded to any of thepipe magazines 12 in any order.

[0045] The embodiments thus provide a pipe handling system for adrilling rig that, via automation and other means, provides for a saferwork environment than that of a conventional rig. The system alsodelivers significant cost savings derived from transporting drill pipeto and from a pipe storage area automatically so as to minimize the needfor time-costing manual labor. The pipe handling system is also lightand easily movable to facilitate rig moves. The pipe handling system 10is also capable of handling pipe joints of different size and differentmaximum tool-end upsets to contact the pipe 18 body only and not thepipe 18 ends. Finally, the pipe handling system is part of a drillingrig that can work on narrow well centers and have a very smallfootprint.

[0046] While embodiments have been shown and described, modificationscan be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spiritor teaching of this invention. The embodiments described are exemplaryonly and are not limiting. Many variations and modifications of thesystem and apparatus are possible and are within the scope of theinvention. Accordingly, the scope of protection is not limited to theembodiments described, but is only limited by the claims that follow,the scope of which includes all equivalents of the subject matter of theclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pipe handling system for use in conjunctionwith a drilling rig for drilling a well bore comprising: at least onepipe magazine for holding at least one pipe, each pipe magazinecomprising at least one pipe rack; a pipe arm; a pipe conveyor systemfor transferring each pipe from each pipe magazine to the pipe arm; andwhere the pipe arm transfers each pipe to and from the drilling rig. 2.The pipe handling system of claim 1 where each pipe magazine comprisesmore than one pipe rack, each pipe rack comprising at least one slat forholding pipes.
 3. The pipe handling system of claim 1 where the pipeconveyor system comprises a vertical pipe conveyor and more than onehorizontal pipe conveyor associated with each pipe magazine and anexternal pipe conveyor for transferring each pipe to the pipe arm. 4.The pipe handling system of claim 1 where the pipe conveyor systemfurther comprises shovel arms for handling each pipe.
 5. The pipehandling system of claim 1 wherein the system is capable of transferringpipe from each of the pipe magazines to the drilling rig and alsotransferring pipe from the drilling rig to each of the pipe magazines.6. The pipe handling system of claim 1 further comprising more than onepipe magazine where the pipe conveyor system also transfers pipe betweeneach pipe magazine.
 7. The pipe handling system of claim 1 where thepipe handling system further comprises sensors for sensing pipeinformation during handling by the system.
 8. The pipe handling systemof claim 7 where a general-purpose computer operates the pipe handlingsystem.
 9. The pipe handling system of claim 1 where each pipe rack iscapable of moving between at least two positions to gravitationally biaseach pipe.
 10. The pipe handling system of claim 1 where the pipe armmoves from a first position to a second position to transfer each pipeto the drilling rig.
 11. A method of transferring at least one pipe froma pipe magazine to a drilling rig comprising: rotating at least one piperack in the pipe magazine to gravitationally bias each pipe while oneach pipe rack; transferring each pipe from each pipe rack to a pipe armin a first position using a pipe conveyor system; moving the pipe armfrom the first position to a second position; and transferring each pipefrom the pipe arm to the drilling rig.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherethe pipe conveyor system comprises a vertical pipe conveyor and morethan one horizontal pipe conveyor associated with the pipe magazine andan external pipe conveyor located between the pipe magazine and the pipearm.
 13. The method of claim 11 further comprising handling each pipe onthe pipe conveyor system using shovel arms.
 14. The method of claim 11further comprising multiple pipe magazines, with the pipe conveyorsystem capable of transferring pipe between the pipe magazines, andfurther comprising transferring pipe from each pipe magazine to the pipearm for transfer to the drilling rig.
 15. The method of claim 11 furthercomprising monitoring information on each pipe during handling by thesystem.
 16. The method of claim 15 further comprising controlling thepipe handling system using a general-purpose computer.
 17. A method oftransferring at least one pipe from a drilling rig to a pipe magazinecomprising: rotating at least one pipe rack in the pipe magazine togravitationally bias each pipe while on each pipe rack; transferringeach pipe from the drilling rig to a pipe arm in a second position;moving the pipe arm from the second position to a first position;transferring each pipe from the pipe arm to each of the pipe racks usinga pipe conveyor system.
 18. The method of claim 17 where the pipeconveyor system comprises a vertical pipe conveyor and more than onehorizontal pipe conveyor associated with the pipe magazine and anexternal pipe conveyor located between the pipe magazine and the pipearm.
 19. The method of claim 17 further comprising handling each pipe onthe pipe conveyor system using shovel arms.
 20. The method of claim 17further comprising multiple pipe magazines, with the pipe conveyorsystem capable of transferring pipe between the pipe magazines, andfurther comprising transferring pipe from the pipe arm to each pipemagazine.
 21. The method of claim 17 further comprising monitoringinformation on each pipe during handling by the system.
 22. The methodof claim 21 further comprising controlling the pipe handling systemusing a general-purpose computer.